We can all live without .secondhand smoke.
G,If f/?~o. IS'
MI
~~} UNItE GEORGIA

Why is secondhand smoke harmful?
Secondhand smoke can cause the following in adults:*
- Eye and nasal irritation - Lung and nasal sinus cancer - Acute and chronic coronary heart disease
leading to death Secondhand smoke can effect children in the
following ways:* - Low birth weight in newborns - Ear infections in children that can lead to
hearing loss - Asthmatic symptoms - Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) - Increase in bronchitis and pneumonia Secondhand smoke can cause the following in pets:* - Forms of oral cancer - Respiratory infections and asthma - Lung inflammation
The EPA estimates that secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 37,000 heart disease deaths in non-smokers each year.*

The EPA also estimates that secondhand smoke is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age annually, resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year.*
Where do you find secondhand smoke?
Everywhere you see someone smoking ... at work, at home, in automobiles, at malls and in restaurants, everywhere.
What steps can you take to reduce secondhand smoke?
Quit smoking, or help your friends and loved ones to quit.
Don't smoke or allow others to smoke around children, including friends, family members even baby sitters. Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of passive smoking.
Find out about the smoking policies of day care providers, preschools, schools and other caregivers for your children.
Help other parents understand the serious health risks to children from secondhand smoke by

working with parent/teacher associations, school board and school administrators, local tobacco coalitions, community leaders and other concerned citizens to make your child's environment smoke-free.
Don't allow yourself or others to smoke in your car. Not smoking in your car can reduce the risk of accidents because the driver doesn't have the extra distraction of lighting a cigarette.
Don't smoke at work, and encourage management to provide smoking cessation information and classes for all employees. Non-smokers exposed to environmental tobacco smoke only at work had significantly higher levels of a nicotine metabolite, or cotinine, a hazardous chemical that remains in the body of habitual tobacco users and non-smokers frequently exposed to smoke.
Don't allow smoking to take away from the life of your loved ones. Secondhand smoke is dangerous, but is preventable. Call the toll-free Tobacco Quit Line 1-877-270-STOp, Georgia's new free resource that offers counseling, a resource library and support and referral services for tobacco users.

We can all live without secondhand smoke.
What is secondhand smoke?
Secondhand smoke, also called environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers and the smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar or pipe. Exposure to secondhand smoke is called involuntary smoking, or passive smoking.
Who is at risk of the dangers of secondhand smoke?
Everyone.
Why is it such a danger?
The smoke from the burning end of a cigarette has many harmful chemicals. Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, of which 200 are poisonous and 63 cause cancer. Secondhand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen).
Because of its health risks, secondhand smoke is known to cause severe health problems for people, especially children. It can even cause problems for your pets.
Note: Informotion obtained by the American Lung Association, American Animal Hospital Association and the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery and DrGreen.com Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research.